Anna is an Expat from the UK living in Basel (Switzerland).
She’s a Statistician working in the Pharma Industry.
She started my program “From Zero to C1 in 25 Minutes a Day” at A2.
She just went through the A2 and B1 Modules of my program but was afterwards more than ready to try the official B2 Goethe exam.
My Program offered her a structured learning system that she could easily integrate into her busy life.
Step-by-step she has been improving her German by developing a better understanding of grammar and sentence structure and growing her confidence in expressing her ideas when speaking.
A few months ago she passed the official B2 Goethe exam with flying colours:
- Reading: 21/25 (84%)
- Listening: 22/25 (88%)
- Writing: 22/25 (88%)
- Speaking: 24/25 (96%)
Here’s an interview I did with her so you can learn from her journey going through my program.
Let’s jump right into it.
Anna, what did you try before starting with my program “From Zero to C1”?
When I first started learning German that was with another distance-learning program. Apart from the speaking, that program was very effective for me, and I combined it with speaking sessions with a local student. After I did the first course, the price for the next module was increased very substantially and my student left, so I couldn’t use that method any more.
After that I tried classes at the local VHS (huge classes and painfully slow), and lessons with a private teacher (really only conversation). I got stuck at an A2-B1 level for years and couldn’t seem to progress.
What was your biggest challenge you faced with learning German?
Working in an international environment with very few German speakers, and having a British partner, means I get very little exposure to the German language. Here in Basel the level of English spoken locally is extremely high and most people are very willing to speak it, so there is not really any external pressure to learn German.
What kind of program were you looking for?
One I could follow at my own pace. German learning is important to me, and I am very motivated, but the time and blocks of time I have available to study are highly variable. I wanted a program broken down into individual parts that I could follow in my own time and have a sense of progress. I also really like having lots of exercises as I know for me that really helps new things stick. I didn’t want to have to think too much about what to learn, I just wanted to follow a plan as it was written and be able to trust that by doing so my German would improve.
What was your goal when you started?
Fluency in German.
What was the big difference between my program and the way you learned German before?
I really liked being able to go through the modules and see/feel that I was making progress with each step. Rather than just showing up for a class for months on end and not really feeling like I was learning anything.
What are some of the results you’ve achieved so far going through my program?
I have passed the B2 exam with a grade of “good”, which has been a goal of mine for a long time. I feel that I can use German in my day to day life outside of work (including for example, at the doctor or dentist). I may not speak like a native speaker, but I can understand and be understood.
How did you prepare your B2 exam?
I did the Modules A2 and B1 of your program “From Zero to C1”, which took me 15 months. Towards the end of the B1 module, I discussed with you about the possibility of taking the B2 exam. I attended a lot of personalized speaking calls of your advanced program to get more confident in speaking. I did several practice papers and went through your Exam Preparation Course to practice the speaking parts of the exam and get feedback on the written part of the exam.
How long did it take to prepare your B2 exam?
In direct preparation about 2 months.
What was the most difficult part in the exam?
Most of my German usage is pretty passive, so I understand fairly well but don’t use the language actively enough. So for me it was much harder to get confident at the spoken and written parts.
Which specific resources helped you the most along the way?
I love the Memrise app and that has been a game-changer for me in German learning. In addition to your’s, I also make my own packages and that has been a great way to significantly increase my vocabulary, and also for learning some of the “boring” structures needed for the exam. According to the app, I’ve learnt over 4000 words in the past 18 months! Also the exercises – yes, there are a lot of them, but they are easy to follow and doing them all makes the vocab and structures stick without thinking about it.
How did you stay focused and motivated through the program?
I never forget my goal is fluency and I just keep plugging away at it. Some weeks I have quite a lot of time to study German, others very little. But I do something, even if just a few words on Memrise, every single day.
How did you manage to combine a full-time job and learning German on the side?
I try to use little bits of time here and there to keep the momentum. If I’m ever waiting for something I have my phone out to learn more words on Memrise. Or I will pick-up a free paper and read the news. Early weekend mornings I am most alert and have time so I usually use these slots to do more or just more involved exercises.
How did a typical daily learning routine look like?
It is very variable for me depending on what is going on with work, travel etc. I commute by bike and go to classes at the gym so listening in the background is difficult for me. Generally I review Memrise words whilst eating breakfast and learn new ones at lunch. At home in the evening I would go through a few exercises. At weekends I did bigger blocks and practiced more written exercises. I study more at weekends because in the week I’m often too tired to do much after work.
How much time did you spend daily on average for your learning?
I’m not entirely sure because it really does vary a lot for me, but about 30-60 minutes average per day + time in coaching calls.
What did you emphasize the most when learning?
I tried really hard to get the grammar to stick because for a long time that was holding me back.
What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?
It’s always been the lack of immersion into the language. That’s still a struggle but I am just as persistent as I can be in my day to day life about speaking German and making opportunities where I can.
What was the most important thing that helped you become more fluent in speaking?
Definitely the coaching calls. Firstly to just get more confident speaking and focussing on speaking naturally and fluently rather than stressing too much about getting the grammar exactly right. But also to learn a lot of expressions and how things are really said in German.
What helped you the most to overcome the fear of speaking to others?
I’ve never really been fearful of it, just frustrated by the lack of opportunities to do it! To overcome that I am just relentlessly politely persistent with German speakers that I really want to speak German no matter how good their English is.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone who wants to learn German but finds it hard to find the time due to his/her busy life?
I really recommend Herr Professor’s system because you can follow it wherever and whenever you are. It’s a much more efficient use of time (and money!) than traditional language classes.
“From Zero To C1 in 25 Minutes a Day” is my All-Inclusive, complete, step-by-step, no fuss, hassle free 75 Lessons online program (yes, only 15 lessons for each Module A1/A2/B1/B2/C1) for Busy Professionals like you, so you can go from scratch to become fluent and confident to join meetings with your colleagues, negotiate with your clients and give presentations in front of your bosses IN GERMAN. Even if you have a busy working schedule.
If you’d like to be added to the Waiting List of “From Zero to C1”, enter your information below, and you’ll be the first to know when I re-open the course.